A second phase of the blossoming Oak Alley subdivision on the northern edge of Covington was approved by the city's planning commission Monday night. The vote allows for the development of 90 lots on 41.9 acres in the subdivision, which is located off U.S. 190 Bypass and Regina Coeli Road.

Construction is currently underway in the first phase of the development, which was approved by the city in late 2011 and includes about 50 single-family home sites. Monday's action by the planning commission gives the owner and developer of the subdivision, Investment Properties of St. Tammany, authority to sell and build on an additional 90 lots.

The subdivision is being developed in four phases. Plans for phases three and four are in the works. When the entire project is built out, it will consist of 295 single-family home sites, according to city planner Nahketah Bagby.

The Oak Alley subdivision has been on the drawing board since 2004, first being proposed by a Mississippi-based land developer. It generated years of discussion, changed owners several times and was the subject of numerous public hearings before finally being granted preliminary approval to proceed in 2008. Some area residents complained that the development would create traffic problems.

The wooded land, which was the former site of the Regina Coeli Preschool and Retreat Center, was partially cleared for roads and the installation of infrastructure before the project came to a halt when the housing market disintegrated in late 2008. The new owner rejuvenated the project a few years ago and received city approval the launch the first phase in 2011.

Jeff Schoen, an attorney representing Investment Properties, told the commission that the developers "would like to keep the process moving along." The commission approved the developer's request for a final plat approval for second phase of the development with little discussion.

The lots in the development have either 60 or 75-foot frontages and all have a depth of 140 feet. Homes in Oak Alley are selling in the low to mid-$200,000 range, Schoen said. Most of the lots in the first phase of the development are either sold or under contract, he said.

"This development will be a good addition to the city of Covington," Schoen said after the meeting. "The homes being built here are reasonably affordable."